Peoplemeters to monitor Romanian TV

Published on September 22, 2000.

BUCHAREST--CSOP/Taylor Nelson Sofres has won an industry tender to begin nationwide people-meter monitoring in Romania. The service is slated to begin in February despite a lawsuit filed by competitor AGB contesting the tender results.

AGB and Taylor Nelson Sofres had been operating peoplemeters in Bucharest since August 1999 as a duopoly, but a joint industry commission made up of ad agencies, advertisers and TV stations agreed to award a monopoly in the nationwide tender. GfK and ACNielson were eliminated earlier in the tender process.

Romanian TV stations have agreed to pay 80% of the costs of running the national peoplemeter system with ad agencies contributing the remainder.

The switch from the diary method to electronic monitoring is likely to show a decrease in overall viewing time in Romania, according to Graffiti/ BBDO Media Director Carmen Rosca and Euro RSCG New Europe, Bucharest, Managing Partner Adrian Dura.